The Bible alludes in Ecclesiastes chapter 3and verses 1 and 2 that “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted” …regrettably our beloved Prof. Lai Oso has been lost to the painful grip of death in an auto crash that brought an utter end to his 39 years of exemplary leadership and unparalleled contribution to the Communication’s industry in Nigeria.
Prof Lai Oso ended his career as the immediate past Dean of the School of Communication, Lagos State University ahead of his 60th birthday celebrations in 2015, while he also held office as the Deputy Rector of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta, Ogun state before joining LASU. Until his death, he was the President, Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN)
Late Prof Oso was a mentor and father figure to many who had passed through his tutelage as students and journalists across the nations of the earth. His death has been described as a blow to Nigeria’s academia and to several generations of Communications graduates across Africa.
He had his BSc in Mass Communications at the University of Lagos and his MSc in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife. In 1977, he went for his Ph.D. in Mass Communication as a federal government scholar at the University of Leicester England.
At various times, he had worked as a Reporter both in Radio and the News Agency of Nigeria, while he also spent some years teaching courses at both graduate and undergraduate as well as, Post Graduate levels. He has taught courses in Journalism, Media and Governance, Political Communication, Development Communication and Theory; to which he was fondly called ‘Oba Theory’ (King of Theory) by his students at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic.
Describing his death as a rude shock to the entire MAPOLY family, the 94/99 Alumni Set President of the Association of Mass Communication Student (AMACOS), Olanrewaju Oyegbola averred that Prof. Lai Oso died on his way back from State on the Ore-Sagamu expressway in a motor accident, while the Vice President for the same association Bayo Adeoshun lamented the loss of Prof. Oso by saying ‘Its one death too much’ while illustrating the pain with memes of tears on the Association’s social media platform.
It would be recalled that in 1995, the Late Prof. Lai Oso’s exemplified his fatherly role when he pleaded on behalf of a female lecturer whose services were rejected by the 94/99 set on account of her absence from school for an entire semester, only to show up a week to the examination with the intent of delivering a semester’s lecture within a couple of hours. The class wasted no time in rebuking her and sending her off; and this action brought Prof. Lai Oso, who was the Departmental head then to plead on behalf of the erring lecturer.
No doubt, Prof. Lai Oso would be sorely missed and remembered as an astute communicator whose brilliance and impact has been etched on the sands of time. May his beloved soul rest in perfect peace.
Adieu Prof. Lai Oso.
(Commentary was compiled by Oludayo Idowu, Public Relations Officer of the 94/99 Alumni Set of the Association of Mass Communication Students (AMACOS) of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta, Ogun State)
